5.01.2017

The first Asian American superhero returns in 'Shadow Hero Comics' #1

The Green Turtle returns! Award-winning comic book creator Gene Luen Yang has partnered with Panda Express to release an exclusive new comic featuring The Green Turtle -- the first Asian American superhero and star of the acclaimed graphic novel The Shadow Hero, in celebration of Asian Pacific American Heritage Month and the restaurant chain's salute to underdogs and unsung heroes.

Yang, the National Ambassador for Young People's Literature, has reunited with artist Sonny Liew to revisit their re-imagining of the obscure Golden Age comic superhero The Green Turtle in Shadow Hero Comics #1. Created by artist Chu Hing in 1944 for Blazing Comics, the character is believed to be the first Chinese American superhero. Yang and Liew revived the character in 2014 with an all-new Asian American origin story.

Most of the time, The Green Turtle is a regular 20-year-old Chinese American guy named Hank Chu, who helps out at his family's grocery store. In Shadow Hero Comics #1, he partners with another costumed superhero known as Miss Stardust. While Hank doesn't possess impressive powers, he never gives up and continues to save his city from villains -- creating his own, original definition of what it means to be "a hero."

You can visit any of Panda Express' 1,900 locations to receive a free copy of Shadow Hero Comics #1 with the purchase of a kid's meal. You can also download and read a digital copy of the issue at pandaexpress.com.